Sunspel Revisits an Icon with Its AW25 Underwear Relaunch
There aren’t many brands that can claim to have reshaped the way British men wear their underwear, but Sunspel has been doing exactly that since 1860. For Autumn/Winter 2025, the Nottingham-born house has gone back into its archives to relaunch its iconic underwear collection—balancing heritage and modernity with two sharply defined moves: a 40-year archive reissue of the classic British Boxer Short, and the introduction of an entirely new luxury Tencel line.
The story of Sunspel’s boxer is already legend. In 1947, John Hill—the great-grandson of the brand’s founder—brought the boxer short back from America after spotting it on his honeymoon. Not content with importing wholesale, Hill refined the cut, smoothing seams and introducing a back panel, while using only the world’s finest long-staple cotton. The result was a garment that was no longer just functional but quietly luxurious, elevating the everyday in a way that’s since become synonymous with Sunspel.
By the mid-80s, the boxer had become part of British cultural history thanks to that Levi’s laundrette advert starring Nick Kamen. Overnight, it turned into a menswear staple, immortalised in one of fashion’s most enduring pop-culture moments. Almost four decades later, sales of Sunspel boxers remain buoyant—accounting for nearly half of the brand’s underwear sales, with demand surging by 50% in the last six months alone. For AW25, the relaunch leans into that legacy. The archive reissue brings back three original stripe colourways, delivered in packaging inspired by the pieces pulled from the vault. It’s a heritage play that doesn’t feel like nostalgia, but more a recognition of just how timeless a well-cut boxer can be.
Alongside the archive revival comes a step firmly into the present. Sunspel has always been a house rooted in fabric innovation, and the AW25 collection introduces underwear in Tencel™. A sustainable fibre made from renewable wood sources, Tencel has a silk-like handle, offering softness, breathability and moisture control. The line comprises a T-shirt, Trunk and Brief, each cut to the house’s refined standards but executed in a fabric that’s engineered for modern comfort. Sustainability here isn’t marketing—it’s part of a longer-term narrative in how luxury brands are adapting their essentials to meet contemporary demands.
The two halves of the collection—archive reissue and Tencel innovation—sit in dialogue with one another. Together they speak to the unique place Sunspel occupies: both the custodian of British underwear tradition and a laboratory for fabric-forward design. Few brands can lean on a 160-year history and still feel relevant in the same breath. Sunspel makes it look effortless.
The AW25 relaunch drops September 11th, online at sunspel.com and across the brand’s stores. Whether you’re interested in a slice of archive authenticity, or want to test-drive the future of luxury basics, Sunspel has positioned its underwear collection at the intersection of heritage and modern comfort. And if history has taught us anything, it’s that they know exactly what they’re doing.